1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to telescoping electric hair curling irons. More particularly, this invention relates to curling irons having as the curler element a tubular heat conducting member axially slidable into a hollow handle of an electric hair curling iron, a thumb operated cantilever spring integrally molded as part of the handle for lifting the clip that holds the hair against the curler tube which is heated by a heater element in the tube, and a swivelling electrical connector to supply power to the heater element.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Telescoping electric hair curlers with a heat conducting member which retracts into a handle, a thumb operated member associated with the handle, to operate the clip, and an electrical connector are known.
The known telescoping curling irons are intended to be used at home or when traveling. However, these known devices are disadvantageous in certain respects as hereinafter explained. An acceptable curling iron for these uses should be economical to produce and be of a suitable size to be conveniently carried in a pocket, purse or handbag. Thus, if the curling iron, when telescoped, is sufficiently short and has a small enough diameter, it can easily be carried in a pocket or purse or other type of handbag. An additional convenience would be if the curling iron could be retracted into the handle while hot without causing the handle to become hot.
A significant time saver when using electric curling irons is the ability of the curling iron to remain at an acceptable temperature, without the need for reheating during use.
No prior telescoping electric curling iron fulfills all the above criteria. The requirements of such a curling iron are, however, fulfilled by the invention described herein.
Examples of prior electric telescoping curling irons are described by Van Dyck, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,101,757 who disclose a telescoping electric curling iron which is unplugged as the plug retracts into the handle when the device is in use, necessitating frequent reheating during use. In addition, the outside diameter of the device is too large for optimum convenience in carrying in a pocket or purse because it has a housing to accommodate the raised end of the clip. The thumb operated member for lifting the clip is a separate part within the handle. The device is made of numerous parts and is thus expensive to produce.
German Pat. No. 2,246,273, published Mar. 8, 1973, discloses a telescoping electric curling iron in which the thumb operated member for lifting the clip is in a housing on the handle, and is not an integral part of the handle. In order to accommodate that mechanism, the diameter of the device is relatively large making it inconvenient to carry in a pocket or purse. In addition, the device is too long for optimum convenience in carrying when the curling iron is retracted because the handle includes room to store the cord.
This invention, unlike prior art devices, provides a compact telescoping electric hair curling iron which is very economical to produce since the thumb operated clip control is an integral part of the handle, is of a sufficiently small size to be easily stored for traveling because the handle does not need to have storage room for the cord and there is no need to include a housing in the handle for the clip end or the thumb operated clip control member, is easy to use as there is no need to frequently reheat the tubular curler member because the curling iron operates while plugged in and the temperature of the heated tubular curler member can be controlled by conventional commercially available heating elements such as resistance heaters with a temperature indicator, positive temperature coefficient (PTC) heaters and the like. A PTC heater is preferred since it can control the temperature without the need for a thermostat or temperature indicator. In addition, the tubular curler member can be retracted into the handle while hot without causing the handle to become hot.
No prior art discloses a telescoping electric hair curler that utilizes a swivel connector, such as disclosed in Walter, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,950,052, capable of sliding in the handle as the curling tube is extended and retracted.